Gift for a Dragon
by hatorispring
Summary: Tohru finds out she has an older sister. no one else knew either except the sister and kazuma. tohru's older sister has a gift for hatori, but will he accept it? new chapter up!
1. Phone Call

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. But I do borrow the manga and the anime from my friends a lot. (Got no money or I'd buy it myself). Omg, my hand is asleep and I can't type with my left hand! Hahaha. Don't know why I'm telling all of you that though.

A/N: This is a fanfic about Tohru's sister. Now, Tohru doesn't know she's her sister and none of the Sohmas know that she's her sister. They all just think that she's a very distant relative of Kazuma…which…in a way she is. But more on that later.

Tohru was taking down the wash when she heard the excited cry from inside. She quickly folded the last three shirts and ran inside the house to see what could make Shigure cry out like that. When she saw him on the phone, she closed her mouth and set down her laundry to listen to the conversation.

"Really? You're coming? Oh that's fantastic. Yes, Ayame will be so excited. Oh I just can't wait for you to get here! When do you get here?" Pause. "Four hours! I just can't wait for you to get here." Pause. "Uh-huh. I'll be sure to tell Kyo to get himself ready for your attack." Pause. "You sure you don't want it to be a surprise?" Pause. "Yes, well I suppose it is only fair for you to warn him. Whatever. It's so much more fun to see the look on his face after a surprise attack. Well, I've got to call everyone else and let them know you're coming." Pause. "I don't think even _I_ can put up with Aya when I tell him _you're _coming. For some reason whenever he talks I think I hear bagpipe music in the background." Pause. "Oh you hear it too? Yeah, a little annoying isn't it?" Shigure chuckled. "Well, I'll see you when you get here. And you'll be staying here correct? Yes! All right, see you."

He hung up and Tohru saw the ecstatic smile that lit up his features. When he finally noticed she was there, he looked up at her and the smile grew into a beam. "Why hello, young Tohru. You'll never guess who called. Why don't you go up and get Yuki and Kyo? I'm sure they'll want to know as well."

Tohru nodded and went upstairs. She set the basket in her room, then knocked on each of their doors.

Yuki answered, looking quite groggy and his hair was mussed.

"Oh, sorry Yuki. I didn't realize you were napping. But Shigure wants to tell us all who's coming for a visit."

"Don't worry about it Miss Honda. I'm sure that it's a good thing you woke me up. It will be harder for me to sleep tonight."

She smiled and then she went to Kyo's door. He answered it without a shirt on. Surprised, Tohru stared for a few seconds. Then he slung on a bright red shirt, but still left it unbuttoned.

"Sorry to interrupt you working out, but Shigure has some news for us and wants all three of us to be there when he tells us."

"S'fine. I'll be down in a sec. Just gotta put on a shirt."

"All right." She was smiling as she and Yuki walked down the stairs together. The three of them sat down and waited for Kyo.

When he got there, Shigure was still smiling like a lunatic who believes his mothership is finally coming to take him home. Kyo sat down and looked at him, then a look of slight trepidation and fear crossed his face.

"Rika is coming."

"What?" cried both Yuki and Kyo at the same time, all trepidation and fear gone to be replaced by enthusiasm. "When?" asked Kyo. "Will she be staying here?" asked Yuki.

"In four hours, and yes. I was thinking one of us could give up our rooms for her."

"I will," said Tohru, almost on reflex. "But who is she?"

"Rika Sohma is a very, very distant relative of Kazuma's. She used to live on the inside on Kazuma's insistence, then found her mother and moved away. But she always visits every once in a while, especially for the holidays. In fact, this is the longest span of time that she hasn't visited since…well, we'll wait and see how touchy she still is on that subject before I go around talking about it all the time."

Tohru took all this in. She wondered what it was that Shigure wouldn't mention. Then she thought of what he said about finding her mother. "What do you mean 'then she found her mother?'"

"Oh, well, that's another story in itself. But it's quite sad. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Tohru, a little nervous, nodded.

"Well, Kazuma's third step-cousin, who he was very close to despite the distant relation, was a very wonderful man. He was handsome and smart and clever. He fell in love with a very wonderful woman who was just as handsome and smart and clever as he. They went all over town, flaunting their relationship to anyone who looked in their direction. They were very much in love. But Rika's father was already married.

"Then Rika's mother found out she was pregnant. She could not bear the shame and she left as soon as Rika was born. She wasn't heard of for ten years. Rika's father died two years after she was born and Kazuma took her in as well. But he couldn't take care of her very well at the time and so gave her to another willing family member on the inside. So she knows all about the Sohma curse and still remains a very loving family member. She's also quite a riot."

Yuki rolled her eyes. "But she's a lot more polite than Shigure and Ayame. She's also friends with Hatori and is the only one that can get Haru to stop being black in less than two minutes. Momiji thinks he's her shadow, as does Kisa, which will probably cause a few problems with Hiro, now that I think of it."

"No mind, no mind. It doesn't matter just as she gets here. Oh, and if she really does stay for two weeks then she'll be here when Mii gets here!" Again Yuki rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Kyo shook his head. "None of that is the greatest part about her. She's a great fighter, can almost take Master. But she was also a real help when I was asking her…" he trailed off and said something about getting snacks. Tohru watched him, confused. Shigure smiled and then she saw that his shoulders were shaking. He was suppressing a wild bout of laughter.

"What is it, Shigure?"

"Don't encourage him, Miss Honda."

Apparently this was all too much for Shigure and the suppressed laughter burst out, a melodious rich sound that seemed to roll from his throat. "He was asking her…" laughter…"about a girl he had a crush on at school!" Then all coherent speech was lost and Shigure was completely taken by his giggling.

Tohru decided she'd get the laundry folded and put away a little while after that and Yuki said something about a walk. Kyo was still in the kitchen. She felt herself getting very excited and a little nervous about this Rika.


	2. Introductions

Disclaimer: Still don't own Fruits Basket.

A/N: Thank you the people that reviewed. That really means a lot. I LOVE REVIEWS. Sorry. Okay so anyway, I love reading so anytime you want me to read something of yours, I will when I find the time. And I'll review! Hahaha. Sorry, I'm in a really weird mood right now. This chapter is pretty much just getting to know Rika. A little bit. It doesn't have much information and it's kind of short, but it's important so you have to read it.

Shigure, Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo were all sitting in the living room waiting for Rika's arrival. When the doorbell finally did ring, Shigure jumped out of his seat so fast he looked like his feet had turned into springs. He went to the door and Yuki and Kyo weren't far behind. Tohru walked behind the three of them, feeling more shy than ever. Then Shigure opened the door and revealed the person in front of it. It was the paper boy.

"What do you want?" asked Shigure, clearly put out that this was not Rika.

"You forgot to pay me last week. I'm just here for my money."

"Fine. Whatever." Shigure stuffed the boy's hand with money and slammed the door in his face. The four of them traversed back to the living room.

Tohru took to looking at the three of them as they waited. They were all supposedly watching an anime that Kisa had left but they'd never gotten around to watching. However, it was very obvious that none of their minds were on the show.

Kyo was sitting and staring a good two feet above the television screen. He was smiling faintly as he thought of something pleasant. Tohru had no doubt in his mind that his thoughts were on a good fight he had had. Perhaps even with Rika. Tohru wondered how good of a fighter she was to be good enough for Kyo and Kazuma.

Next she looked at Yuki was on the floor, leaning against the couch. He had one hand in his hair and his violet eyes had a far-away look to them. He too was smiling. Tohru smiled thinking that whoever this Rika was, if she could make the two people who disliked each other so much like her, then she couldn't be too bad. But the best person to look at was Shigure. The look on his face made up Tohru's mind that Rika must be a good person.

Pure excitement was on his face. His feet were jiggling as though to a tune only he could hear. His eyes were laughing and the smile on his face was almost the one of a lunatic. His hands were running through his thick black hair over and over again and soon you could tell where his fingers took their path. His hair became spiky with the excessive finger running. All in all, Shigure looked like a little kid waiting for Christmas to happen.

Then there were footsteps in the hall. Shigure's head snapped in that direction and Kyo turned off the TV and VCR. They all got up again and then a very beautiful girl came into the room.

She was tall and had the longest black hair Tohru had ever seen. It was up in a high ponytail-braid and reached her waist. Tohru wondered in awe how long it must be when it was down. Her eyes were a deep warm brown, the kind of eyes that if you look at too long you start laughing from their warmth and happiness. Her nose was small and cute above full lips. Her nails were painted bright red and shoes were the same color scarlet. They had funky beads and tassles hanging from them, but they still managed to look good. Tohru could tell just looking at those shoes and her laughing eyes that Rika was going to be an interesting person.

Shigure threw his arms around her dramatically. "Rika, it's so great to see you again!" he cried and stepped back. Rika was smiling even more broadly now as she looked at Shigure, then Yuki, Kyo, and finally Tohru. When Rika's eyes landed on her, Tohru immediately blushed. She felt awkward and shy.

"Who's this Shigure?" asked Rika.

"This is Tohru. She's been living with us for nearly a year now."

When Rika heard her name, a strange light went off in her eye. Tohru wondered if it meant anything. Rika stepped forward toward her and bowed. "My name's Rika Sohma. How did you get to live with such an interesting group of guys?"

"Well, I was living in a tent -"

"A tent?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes. No one had room you see and I decided to make the best of it. Then Shigure and Yuki found me and offered me a home here. I clean and cook for them and they let me stay."

Rika nodded and looked at Shigure. He was suppressing laughter again. Rika smiled and said, "What's so funny Shigure?"

"A tent!" he cried, and the giggles came over him once again. They just kept coming until finally Rika joined in. Soon the two were laughing so hard they were nearly bent over double, holding onto each other's shoulders and laughing uncontrollably. Tears were rolling down Shigure and Rika's eyes and their shoulders were shaking frighteningly.

The laughter eventually tapered off and the pair were left wiping their eyes and letting small titters escape occasionally. Both were red in the face.

"Oh man," said Rika. "I don't think I've laughed like that since my last visit."

Shigure shook his head and then told her to have a seat. The other three did as well and then Rika took to asking how they'd all been since she'd been gone.

"So, Yuki, how's that base coming along? Did you get the strawberry seeds I sent you?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you very much Rika. Tohru and I have just picked them yesterday. Would you like a few?"

"That sounds fantastic."

"I'll get them," said Tohru. She jumped up and went to the kitchen to get them. When she came back with a plateful of strawberries, she saw Rika and Kyo standing in fight positions. Rika was examining Kyo with an expert eye and making adjustments here and there.

"There you go. Now try and hit me." He did and almost got her. But at the last minute, Rika put up a guarding hand and Kyo's went down.

"Here are the strawberries!" said Tohru. She had decided she really liked this girl. She hoped they could become friends.


	3. Saving Yuki

Disclaimer: Still don't own Fruits Basket. But I do have a lot of really cute pictures of Shigure! Hahaha. He's cute for a drawing!

A/N: Hey, just wanted to thank you again for the reviews. Keep them coming, I love them! And any time you have a suggestion, I'm always open to them. Even flamers are okay by me! I LOVE reviews. The next chapter will be from Rika's viewpoint. Just a warning.

Rika was telling a story about when she and Ayame were twelve.

"And then, if you'll believe it, he turned into a snake!"

Shigure laughed hard, slapping his knee. Yuki shook his head in exasperation and Kyo looked appalled.

"He went right up that girl's shirt and got himself that money, and now, here we are, a troll with a diamond for a bellybutton for each of us. I love those little plastic dudes."

Once the laughter stopped, they heard the knocking that could have been going on for quite a while. "Shigure? I know you're in there. Come on, open up! I wanna see Rika!"

Tohru opened the door and Ayame came flying in. "Tohru! Lovelier every time I see you." Tohru blushed and heard Yuki yell, "Shut up Ayame!"

"Little brother!" he cried, moving toward the living room. "How are you? Rika! It's been so long, too long! Have I shown you my latest creation? It's gorgeous, you simply must come by the shop and see it. I can't wait to show you off to my customers." Rika and Ayame continued to chatter.

With the high-pitched and excited voice of Ayame, Rika's constant giggling and Shigure's loud declarations of love for some vague rock group they used to love, it was no wonder that Yuki would get annoyed. Tohru saw this with worry and saw that Kyo was watching them with a kind of horrified surprise. _Now would be a good time for some kind of distraction_, she thought.

"Would anyone like a snack?"

Yuki looked at her gratefully. Kyo just kept watching in bamboozled wonder. "Maybe some jelly rolls Miss Honda?" he said. Tohru smiled and went to the kitchen. Shigure, Ayame, and Rika's voices were muffled when the kitchen door closed. She was just about to pour some of the jelly when she heard the kitchen door slide back open.

Rika stood there and she was smiling at her strangely. "Just came back to see if you wanted any help with those jelly rolls."

"Oh! Well, I'm doing fine, thank you though."

"Yeah sure. I think I'll help you anyway. Kind of want to talk to you."

Tohru felt a little nervous. Rika must have sensed something, for she looked at her and said, "Don't worry. Just wanted to ask you a few questions."

Tohru didn't feel much less nervous.

"How do you like living with these guys? Obviously having to put up with Shigure's strangeness must be trying, but other than that, how's it going? Has Akito done anything?"

Tohru shivered a little from a sudden cold at the mention of Akito's name. "I love living with the Sohmas. They've given me so much and I'm so thankful. And Akito hasn't been that bad really.

"You're really good at making these jelly rolls."

Rika laughed. "Thanks. I make them a lot. They're a good snack to have after a long day of work."

"What do you do for a living?"

"Well, on Monday through Wednesday, I'm a waitress. Thursdays and Fridays I'm a masseuse, and on Saturdays I work in a chicken plant nearly all day long."

"Why do you have so many jobs?"

"Well, I after my mom was gone, I was put in foster home after foster home. When I was twelve, I learned you could only take care of yourself and I ran away. I got caught up in a gang, but once I graduated from high school I had to get all those jobs and I had to keep food on the table and with being so busy, I just really didn't have time for that kind of thing. So I guess I'm not really in that anymore." Rika stopped and looked a little surprised. Tohru was about to ask what was wrong, but Rika interrupted her. "You know, he was right. You do get people to open up with the littlest effort. He mentioned that in his letters you know."

Tohru vaguely wondered who "he" was, but was too busy blushing over the complement to really notice. "Oh no! I just ask a lot of questions. I'm nosy more than anything else." Rika laughed.

"You're so jumpy! That's not really the right word, but I don't know what it is right now. Come on, let's go out there and pry Yuki off Ayame. I'm sure he's said something by now to make Yuki want to kill him."

The two of them went out there and Yuki was indeed getting angrier and angrier. His purple eyes were blazing with anger. Ayame was going on happily about something or other, not realizing that Yuki was only taking offense in what Ayame was saying. Shigure was watching with some kind of sick amusement and Kyo seemed to have vacated the room to avoid the danger.

"Ayame! Why don't you come into the kitchen with me for a little bit!" said Rika. "I need your help. Tohru, I'm sure you can entertain these two in his stead."

Yuki smiled even more gratefully at Rika and she winked at him. Tohru watched this and then sat down. Ayame and Rika left the room.

"Are you okay Yuki?" asked Tohru. Kyo came back in silently and sat down beside her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He can be so…" he just trailed off and clenched his fists.

"I don't think he really knows what he's doing. My mom always said that people could have so many differences that they don't really see that what they're doing might seem wrong or upsetting to another person. I'm sure Ayame was just saying all those things to make you laugh or something."

Yuki only nodded, but he looked a lot more at peace than he had before.


	4. Change a Man's Life

Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket or any of that.

A/N: I always forget what I want to say here! Oh yeah, the name of the fanfiction might not be clear now, but trust me, it will. It will all be as clear as a not very dirty windowpane very soon my children! HAHAHAHA. cackling madly . I need help.

Rika was sitting by the phone. She picked up the receiver, set it back down. Picked it up. Set it down. Up. Down. Up. Down. Tears were welling in her eyes. What was she supposed to do? Ruin a man's life forever? Fix hers? Or save the one thing that could change her life for the better? What? How come this decision was so hard and she had made all of her other ones with strong deliberation and sureness? How could this one possibly be so difficult?

She heard someone on the stairs and quickly wiped away her tears. It was Tohru.

"Hi Rika!" she said. "I just came down to start breakfast. Are you okay?"

She loved how she was always so cheerful. It was a nice break from her gang friends that always had a new depressing story to tell her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rika cleared her throat. "Just still a little groggy I guess. What are you making?"

"I was thinking about omelets. Is there something you like in those?"

"Swiss cheese and red peppers. You can never go wrong with an omelet made from Swiss cheese and red peppers."

"Okay!"

Rika got up and went to the kitchen to help her.

Hatsuharu showed up for breakfast to see her. It was great. She loved seeing him again and was amazed at all the new piercings he'd gotten since her last visit.

"Oh! I love this necklace. Where'd you get it?"

"The mall."

"Duh. What store?"

He shrugged. "I don't really remember. Did you bring me anything?" His grin made Rika laugh. It was still the same mischievous grin he had practically been born with.

"Yes, I did. Here you go."

"Thank you." He took out one of his earrings and put in the huge ankh one she'd given him.

Kyo came down and Haru almost challenged him to a fight, but Rika decided to distract him. Yesterday Shigure had gone on a little too long about the damage done to his house between Kyo and Yuki. But they weren't fighting so much. Of course, everyone outside Shigure's house had mentioned it in their letters, but it was still a shock to see the two of them living together in the same house and not trying to tear each other's head off. Maybe they might even be able to carry on a civil conversation one day. That made Rika smile.

"Watcha smilin about Rika?" asked Shigure as he plopped down with his newspaper folded in his lap.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinkin me thinks. You gonna give me some of that paper?" He handed her the comics. Rika often said they were the only useful things she could get out of the rag Shigure subscribed to.

The omelet Tohru gave her was wonderful. "This is great Tohru." She smiled and blushed. Everyone else enjoyed her omelets as well and then they all sort of dissipated. Haru promised to visit again, and was very vague when he looked at his watch and said it was time for him to go. Rika was glad he had come by. She loved his quiet sense of humor.

Rika was again alone and she walked by the phone. She stared at the black device and wondered what to do. _Call him_, she thought. _You know he'll just get mad that you waited so long to tell him_. She did know that. But she was scared. What would she do if he hated her forever? She could have been more careful. She should have been more careful as she had found out. But it was too late for that now. All she could do was decide whether or not to tell him.

Seemingly of its own accord, her hand picked up the phone and dialed the number she had dialed so many times. She didn't even have to think about it anymore. But she thought plenty of hanging up as she listened to the discordant ringing in her ear. _Maybe he won't be there,_ she thought. _That'll be my sign. If he isn't there than I won't tell him. If he is, I'll make plans to meet him._

He answered. "Hello?" His voice still sent shivers up and down her spine. She didn't know what to say. After a long time of silence she finally said hello back. She was going to tell him.


	5. She Tells Him

Disclaimer: Guess what. I still don't own it and unless I find out I have an extremely rich relative that gives me all of their money I probably won't. And even then it'd be debatable. I like Fruits Basket, but I don't think I want to own it.

A/N: Okay, this is still Rika, just to let you know. I like being in her head. It's rather interesting. Hee hee. Now, Shigure would be really interesting so I might try that soon too. Lalalala.

When Rika got to the gate, Momiji ran out to greet her. "Rika!" he cried, throwing his arms around her. _Poof_. Momiji was a rabbit. Thankfully Rika was used to this happening - especially with Momiji - so she picked him up and carried him into the gates with her, asking how he was and what had he been up to lately. He sang her ten new songs he had made up (seven of them on the spur of the moment which was quite obvious) and talked a lot about Tohru.

Then they got to Hatori's house and Rika said she had to talk to him alone. Momiji looked a little disappointed, but hopped off happily enough. Thinking what difference this Tohru had made in the Sohma family, Rika smiled and then just stood, staring at his house. She was terrified.

A cold sweat trickled down her back and her hands were clammy. She was so nervous! The last time she had been this keyed up was when her and another girl were jacking a car for the first time. They hadn't ended up in jail, but it was a close enough call that they weren't sent out again for a while and they had had to wear sunglasses in their neighborhood along with the masks. But that was nothing compared to this.

She walked up the steps and knocked on the door. She thought about Kana and everything that happened. Rika had been forced to watch along with the rest of the Sohmas as a part of him died inside. She could see his soul withering inside of itself so it wouldn't have to hurt anymore and she had seemed like some strange channel taking his pain and receiving it too well. Now that too was a part of her along with this unshakable nervousness.

Hatori slid open the door and looked at her in surprise. The obvious shock on his face made her feel - if possible - more nervous. But just seeing him again made her feel a little happiness behind her fear and when he too looked pleased to see her after the initial shock, she felt more happy than she had in a long time.

"Come in Rika," he said. She took off her shoes and went in. They sat on the mats and then Rika opened her mouth, then closed it.

Hatori watched this, then kindly said, " How have you been Rika?"

"Good," she said, smiling at him. "My jobs are keeping me busy and I'm more tired than I have been in a long time, but other than that I'm fine." She was babbling. This always happened when she was nervous. She felt herself beginning to blush and felt even more embarrassed. She just couldn't stop the blood from heating her face.

Hari knew her to well. "Rika, just tell me what's on your mind."

"Well…okay. But be prepared. This is pretty much a shocker."

Hatori nodded and then took her hand. At his touch Rika felt her heart skip a beat and her fingers were tingling. He smiled so warmly at her that she thought Akito knew nothing of what he was talking about. Hatori was still the springtime warmth that he had always been. He was just the kind of person that thought people might see that as a weakness. And after Kana, Rika thought he might not even realize he was smiling like that.

"Do you remember, a couple of months ago?"

It was Hatori's turn to blush. "I thought we agreed that we would let that night alone. I mean, after all, we were both really drunk."

"Yes, and I - don't take this the wrong way - didn't want to think about it. I thought it might really affect our friendship in a bad way."

He nodded and Rika knew that he felt a little angry that she had brought it up. But he didn't withdraw his hand and for that Rika was thankful. She needed the strength to say this.

"I'm pregnant."


	6. Maturity Blues

Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket or any of its affiliates.

A/N: Sorry I haven't written in so long! I've been so busy over Christmas break and then with school starting. And this is really last minute didn't have anything else to do stuff. But it's still good, so read and review.

"You can be as involved as you want," said Rika. "I'm going to have it. Obviously. I don't know much about babies. Not that I think you do. Why am I still talking? Look, I came here to tell you I'm pregnant, I'm going back to the city when my visit is up and you have every option."

Hatori continued to stare at her belly, which had been carefully covered with a maternity shirt to make it look smaller.

"Hari?" she asked. "Okay. Then, I'll be going and you just…think." Rika stood up and went to the door. Her hand was on the handle wand she was almost gone, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Rika," said Hatori. "I want to be involved. And don't go back to the city. That's the entire wrong place for you to be. Stay here. With me."

"What?! Hatori, I'm glad you want to be involved - trust me, I _really_ am - but staying here? My home is in the city; my job is there, I -"  
"Get a job here! Please Rika, think about it. You know you've always been welcome on the inside and I won't be missing any baby stuff. And as for your jobs - Rika, you're a waitress. You can't give that up?"

"Well don't say it like that. It puts food on the table you know."

He smiled apologetically. "Please Rika, live here with me."

"In your house?!"

"Well, yeah. I thought that ad been obvious."

"But, you're a boy! You have cooties!" Rika was shocked to feel a tear go down her cheek. Then she thought about why it was there and she realized it was not from Hatori's cooties, or being so happy at how well he was taking this - thought to Rika those were some pretty important factors - she was just too happy for words.

She flung her arms around Hatori, completely forgetting the curse. Before the inevitable poof she felt his hands enclose around her waist. Then he was a sea horse on the floor. "Oh crap," she said. "Sorry Hari." She tenderly picked him up and took him to the bathroom. She put the plug in the bathtub and ran some water. "Now, maybe this is taking too long," she said, a playful smile playing across her lips. "Maybe I should just throw you in the toilet." It was hard to tell since he was a sea horse, but Rika thought she saw him throw her an indignant look before she gently put him in the cold water. She hadn't known if there would be any time to make it warm. She watched as he swam around and showed off a s Rika laughed and shouted out requests, then all of a sudden he stopped. Rika turned around and saw Ayame standing there. Rika knew Hari would never show off like that for any9one but her. (She was the only one that knew that even in his human form he could do a back flip).

"Rika! I wasn't expecting to find you here! What were you two doing so that Hari would turn into a sea horse, hmm?"

"Mind your own business and get out." Rika saw that Hari was sitting in the freezing bath water, shivering now that he was no longer a sea horse.

Ayame left with a slightly putout look and Rika grabbed some towels and threw them at Hatori.

"Hari, I can't leave Shigure's. Yet. There's something I've got to tell Tohru too. This visit was to single-handedly ruin everyone's life as fast as possible."

With one towel around his waist and his wet hair sticking up in all possible directions, Hari said, "You didn't ruin my life Rika. I needed you back here. I didn't realize how much until I saw you today. I love you." Rika was crying again.

"I love you too." Hatori smiled and awkwardly patted her shoulder. Then, holding her hand he gave her a kiss. "Thank you."

"What's holding you two up?" called Ayame, a saucy tone in his voice.

"Be right there Aya!" called Rika. "Let's go before he wets himself with excitement or something.

"Tohru!" called Shigure. "Tohru! I want some sukiyaki! Tohru!"

He finally found her sleeping in bed. Kyo was placing a hot rag on her head and the lights were dimmed. "Shut up," said Kyo irritably. "Tohru's running a fever so you'll funs have to make your own sukiyaki."

Shigure stood there and watched how carefully he was handling the rag and fluffing Tohru's pillows. He thought of a few somethings to say…then a rare and beautiful thing happened. "She works herself too hard," he said. He was mature! Yay! Kyo nodded, apparently unaware of the strange happenings going on right in the very same room. However, Shigure knew his maturity would soon be gone, so he went down to his office before his mouth could run away with him.

A few minutes later, Shigure was feeling a little too grown up. Checking his calendar, he saw that Mii was coming the next day. Suddenly, he got the idea on how to get rid of these maturity blues. He called Aya.


	7. Don't You Know I Love You!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or any of its affiliates. Too bad for me…

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! This one is from Mii's viewpoint. Teehee. It's not the best one I've ever written, but trust me – it will be very apparent very soon why this one is so important. Hahaha.

Mii walked down the driveway to the Sohma house with trepidations. Why not just have him send it to her? She asked herself. Why not just fire him? But she knew why. For all of his ways, she still liked him a lot. She sighed. She didn't want these feelings. She rang the doorbell.

The house was suspiciously quiet. Usually the gray-haired boy and the one with the red eyes were in a fight. And sometimes their family was visiting. She shuddered as she thought of the grown version of the gray-haired kid. What would they do to her this time?

A very pretty girl opened the door. She looked at Mii and Mii had a sudden and startling thought: Did Shigure have a girlfriend? She noticed the girl, though very skinny, had a rather distended belly. Had Shigure gotten a girl pregnant?

"Are you here for the viewing?" asked the girl.

"Viewing?"

The girl looked away, tears in her eyes. "You don't know. Please, come in."

Mii walked in and shut the door, her fears rising .She followed the girl into the living room, then stopped in her tracks.

In the middle of the room, lying in a casket and in traditional robes, was Sohma Shigure. She ran to the casket. In the dim flickering candlelight, Shigure looked so very pale. Tears began to well in her eyes as she looked at his dead body. Never to be tricked again, never again to hear his laugh, never to get even one more hug (which he sometimes gave her after a long day). She saw one of the people that also lived here walk past the living room. He was the one with the purple eyes. He looked a bit startled at the scene before him. Then his brother came up to him. Mii looked away.

"Little brother's still in shock," said Ayame. "He just can't – " Mii heard his voice catch – "believe –" here he drew in a shaky breath – "he's dead!" he wailed, throwing himself over the casket. Mii backed up, shaken by his grief.

"I'm sorry" Ayame said, walking away from the casket. "I never thought…." He left the room.

Mii looked back at Shigure. His eyes popped open. Mii blinked, but his hazel eyes remained open. Then his arm raised and grasped her hand. Mii screamed. When her lungs were empty, she heard laughter.

Her eyes had been shut tight while screaming but ow she saw that the girl was helping Shigure out of the coffin. But they were both laughing so hard they had no strength to get out.

"Did you get the picture Aya!" yelled Shigure. Ayame came in laughing, a Polaroid in hand. He handed the girl the picture. She laughed and gave it to Shigure, who also laughed.

Mii felt a wave of anger sweep over her. She tried to think of her psychiatrist and what he had told her about expressing anger in the right ways. "Take it out on a pillow" had been one of his suggestions. Shigure would do. With an animal-like war cry Mii jumped on him. She slapped his face and threw him to the ground. (He was out of the casket by then).

"All I wanted was the get the manuscript!" she said as she pulled his hair and scratched his cheek with her long, pearly pink fingernails. "Every time I come you do something to me!" She punched him in the gut. Shigure stood up and Mii continued to wail on him. As she kicked him hard in the shin with her pointed stiletto shoes, she cried, "Don't you get that I love you!" With that, she ran from the house. She got in her car and drove away, wiping the tears from her eyes.


	8. Photos

Disclaimer: Still don't own Fruits Basket. But I did just borrow the anime and I keep watching the one where Hatsuharu (sigh….so cute!) and Momiji start going to high school. I swear, that one and the one where they're all at the lakehouse are probably my favorite ones. And isn't it so sweet at the end when Kyo hugs her and they're all crying and stuff! Sorry if that ruined something for you…oh! I'm rambling. Haha.

Tohru walked into Rika's room. She saw a half-filled suitcase and the comforter she had brought with her folded up and kept together with a belt that had multi-colored tassels on it.

"Oh, so you're really leaving then?" she asked. She was a little sad. She really liked Rika and had enjoyed her being in the kitchen with her.

"Yes," she said.

Tohru walked further into the room. "Would you like me to help you pack?"

Rika shook her head. Tohru thought she looked very nervous. She wondered why. When Tohru saw the look of pain and extreme nervousness in her face, she felt a little afraid.

"I was wondering if you'd look at some pictures with me?" said Rika. Tohru thought she was acting very strange, but she just sat there and said nothing as Rika pulled out a large photo album. On the cover was a beautiful picture of a Chinese dragon entwined around a magnificent star. She opened it up and Tohru saw a picture of Rika, Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori all with their arms around each other. Well, Rika was actually standing in front a little bit so that they wouldn't have to hug her, but they were all very close. They were all smiling and they looked very young. When Tohru looked at Rika, she saw a very beautiful and nostalgic smile on her face.

"How old were you?" she asked.

"Oh, we must have been about 17." She laughed. "I had forgotten Aya used to braid his hair like that all the time. He said he did it to irk that archaic principal even more." She turned the page. On one side, it was she and Ayame, flipping their hair back and laughing. They both looked absolutely stunning in beautiful dress robes. Rika's was a stunning red with a little shiny white and gold embroidered in all the shapes of the zodiac. Ayame's was much the same, but a dark, rich blue, purple, and black.

"Those are gorgeous," said Tohru. And she meant it. They were very beautiful.

"Aya would positively die if he could here you say that. He was very proud of himself when he made them and when Shii and me complemented him he just wouldn't shut up. Hatori almost left us that day because we couldn't stop talking about all of Ayame's 'creations.'"

They looked at the next picture. It had the back of Shigure's head and then only some of hers and it looked like they were very passionately making out. Rika seemed to crack up. "Oh! I had forgotten about that!" Then she laughed so hard tears actually came to her eyes. "We used to always pretend to be doing that so the teachers could see us. Oh, it made them so mad! But they couldn't get us in trouble because there was nothing in the rulebook about pretending." Then she couldn't stop laughing for about five minutes. Tohru just stared at the picture in naïve wonder.

She turned the page. Then Tohru saw her blush very violently. Having not been paying attention to the pictures and only to Rika's face, she quickly turned to the album to see what could make her blush like that. She didn't get to see all of it very good, but it had looked like she was in some crazy outfit with a whip in hand. And Ayame had been there too…They looked like they were laughing. Pretending she hadn't seen the picture or even how quickly Rika turned the page, she just allowed her to look at the next ones like nothing had happened.

It was a picture of her and Hatori. Unlike all the other ones that seemed a little crazy, this one was sweet and rather serious.

They were sitting on a porch swing and the sky behind them was pink and orange. It made them look a little darker, almost like sillouhettes. They were staring only at each other and smiling a little embarrassedly. They were also holding hands. Whoever had taken the picture had captured their feelings with much skill. She turned that page almost as quickly as the other one.

Then what Tohru saw shocked her.

A man who looked to be very tall and very handsome had his arm around someone. And that someone was Kyoko. Tohru's mother.

Without even thinking, she grabbed the album from Rika's hands and stared at the photo. Though Rika very seriously looked like the man in the photo - and still managing to look like a pretty girl - she noticed for the first time that her mother's and Rika's smile were almost exactly the same. And she seemed to have a very similar personality as well. Without the whole Aya thing though…

"I didn't really know how to tell you. I mean, I thought maybe I could just blurt it out, but that's not very sensitive is it? So then I thought, I'll break it to her gently, but then I thought if I did that you might believe me. And a picture says a thousand words! So I just decided to show you instead." When Rika finished her rambling, she realized Tohru was still staring avidly at the picture. "Did you hear a word I just said?"

Tohru looked up at Rika. She looked absolutely shocked. "Is my mother…your mother?"

Rika just nodded. The tears were back in her eyes, but this time they weren't from laughter.

The album fell to the floor with a loud _thud_. Tohru threw her arms around Rika. When she felt a slight wetness on her shoulder, she knew Tohru was crying as well. Rika put her arms around Tohru and the two embraced as sisters for the first time.


	9. Moving In

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its affiliates. (I'm not sure what those affiliates might be, but I can assure you that I do not own them).

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to upload! I try not to do that because I know how mad I get when other people don't update. But here I am, so you can't get angry anymore! But you can review. Oh, and guess what! Me and my friend are going to do another Fruits Basket fic and it's going to be the best. Because it's about us! Sort of. You'll have to read it when it comes out. And if you ever look at my bio, you'll KNOW when it comes out because that'll be all I can talk about. Like right now. Okay, so anyway. Here goes.

Rika gave Shigure a pat on the back. He had tears streaming down his face. "I'll never see you again!" he cried.

"I know! For like, a whole four hours!"

The two high fived each other and giggled. Yuki rolled his eyes, but decided he could put up with it because it was Rika after all.

She then went and gave Yuki a handshake. Yuki's hand came away with a packet of leek seeds. Just in case. He grinned and realized how much he was going to miss her not living there.

Rika punched Kyo on the shoulder and gave him a book on judo. "You've gotten much better since the last time I saw you Kyo. Pretty soon me and Kazuma had better learn to watch out." Kyo smiled and then Rika smiled back. She turned to Tohru.

Rika pulled back from her hug from Tohru. She realized that Tohru had tears in her eyes. How sweet! When she felt a little wetness falling down her own cheek, she realized that she too was crying. She wondered if she should tell Tohru. Oh, what the hell.

"I can't believe we're sisters!" Tohru said before Rika could open her mouth to tell her another big secret. "I've always wanted an older sibling! I mean, Uo and Hana are like sisters to me, but you know. This is just so great! I'm so excited! And now we can tell each other all our secrets like all those other super close sisters. Oh, I'm sorry." She blushed. "I'm getting a little carried away with myself."

Rika laughed. "Hardly. I hope we can tell each other everything. Which brings something to mind. You know the party tonight?" Tohru nodded. "Well, it's not exactly a house-warming party. Hatori and I…well…me and Hatori…I'm pregnant."

"What! No way! That's so great! An older sister and a nephew or niece in the same day! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

Rika shook her head. She was still smiling. She didn't think she had smiled this much since the last time she had visited Shigure's house. But this was not the time nor the place to be reminiscing about that. "No, I don't know. I wish I did. My curiosity is driving me insane. The OB/GYN said I'd know by my sixth month. That means three whole months until I finally know! Oh, it's really bugging me. But that's what the party's about. We're going to tell the rest of the Jyuunishi."

"Oh, how exciting!"

Rika whispered in Tohru's ear, "Stop by anytime and we'll chat." As she was pulling away from her little sister's embrace, she heard a horn honking. She turned to see Hatori pulling into the driveway at breakneck speed. He didn't do it so much anymore, but Hatori was a notorious speeder. He never once got caught by a policeman and he never got in an accident, but he did love pushing the limits.

She watched as Hatori's tall form pulled itself out of the car. "C'mon Rika. Let's go. I'll get your suitcase for you."

"Oh, such a gentleman." Rika batted her eyelashes and Shigure giggled. As he watched Hatori open Rika's door, he saw the look in Hatori's eyes. He knew that moving in together wasn't the only big thing the two would be doing. He distinctly heard wedding bells. When he had told Ayame his suspicions that morning, he had fervently agreed. He even started making plans for a wedding dress for a person who – and don't tell anyone I told you this – seemed to be putting on a little weight.

"Goodbye everyone!" The four waved goodbye to the girl from the porch, then headed inside.

Hatori eased slowly into the driveway. He then opened her door for her and grabbed her suitcase again.

"You know, I'm perfectly capable of getting my own suitcase," she said.

He just smiled at her and kissed her cheek. The two went inside.

Rika sat down on the couch and Hatori sat beside her and turned on the TV. The station was on an incredibly boring documentary. Rika blessed whoever had called when she heard the phone ring. "I'll get it!"

"Hello?"  
"Hello, Rika."

"Oh, hey Ayame."

"Listen, Shii and I were wondering if you wanted us to help you decorate for your party tonight. He's practically dying to see you again."

"I only left five minutes ago."

"Yes, well, call it withdrawal. Anyway, we'll be over in a few!"

"Bye."

_Click_.

Rika went into the living room and sat down again.

"Who was it?" Hatori asked.

"Ayame. He and Shigure are coming over in a couple minutes. Oh! I'm so sorry! I forgot to ask if he could!"

Hatori sighed. "Don't worry. I should have known having you coming here would have meant having my house full all the time." She smiled apologetically. His only reply was to grab her hand and turn back to the TV screen.


	10. Parties and Announcements

Rika opened the door to see Aya and Shigure. They were both beaming like idiots, and came in as soon as the door was opened. The three of them giggled, ran around the house with toilet paper around their heads (I won't explain) and occasionally hung up a balloon or two. Hatori stayed in the kitchen, making sushi. (Bet you didn't know Hari could cook did ya?)

Finally, the rest of the guests started to arrive and Aya, Shii, and Rika took the toilet paper off their head.

The first official guest was Hatsuharu, holding out a wrapped gift with a huge pink bow on it. He handed it to Rika and she enthusiastically smiled and ripped off the wrapping paper. It was a new CD. She squeezed his shoulder since she couldn't hug him and thanked him. She ran over to her CD player and put it in. It was a screamer band that gave everyone but Rika and Haru a headache. Those two spent about fifteen minutes talking about the excellent bass before the others finally took the offensive CD out and put in something everyone could enjoy.

The next guests were Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki. Tohru was holding their hands and Kyo was holding their gift for Rika. They gave it to her and she opened up a box with a beautiful bracelet inside. She thanked them all and hugged Tohru. Then she put it on and wore it for the rest of the night.

Momiji came in with a huge smile on his face and bearing a huge box of chocolates. Rika did hug Momiji and he stayed a cute little rabbit for about ten minutes. He didn't mind though. He loved hugs from Rika.

The last, but certainly not least, guests were Hiro and Kisa. The other two Zodiac animals couldn't make it due to complications. Hiro was only there because Kisa wanted to be there. He really liked Rika too, but he only pretended to be able to tolerate her. Rika understood – thankfully – and didn't hold it against him.

The party was in full swing with lots of laughter and talking when Rika decided to finally make her announcement. Hatori stood a little bit behind her and stared around at everyone until they all quieted down.

"Everyone," she said, "I have an announcement to make. The reason I came to visit, was not only to see you all because I've missed all of you so much, but also for two other reasons. One of them was that Kazuma just told me something that changed my whole viewpoint on my mother. I have a sister. Her name is Tohru Honda." Everyone turned to stare at Tohru and she blushed heavily. Then Rika began talking again and once again all eyes were on hers. "I'm also going to have a baby with Hatori. I'm about four months pregnant now." Everyone cheered and everyone hugged one another. Except for Tohru and Rika of course, who could only hug each other while other members of the Zodiac jumped around and squeezed Rika's shoulder or hand. Shigure even went as far as to kiss her on the cheek. That was when Hatori decided to hold Rika's hand for a while.

The party ended soon, and everyone was going home. Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki were the last in Hatori's house. Kyo, Yuki, and Hatori left the room while Tohru and Rika talked.

"I'm so excited about this baby Rika," said Tohru. Rika nodded, smiling beautifully. "When will you know if it's a boy or a girl?"  
"In about two months, I should be able to know. I'm dying to know, I just can't wait, but Hatori refuses to know. I don't know why. He's terrified it will be a member of the zodiac you know. I see him staring at my belly with such a worried look sometimes I want to cry. I'm scared too, but don't tell anyone. I wouldn't want anyone else to know I'm worried."

Tohru just hugged Rika again and said, "I'm sure the baby will be fine." Rika only nodded, still looking very worried and scared. "Does Hatori know you're so scared?"

"No. And don't tell him. He thinks I still don't know he's so worried. And I try not to think about the chances that he or she might be a member of the Zodiac. We all know Hatori can worry enough for the both of us."

"Well, it's getting kind of late and I still have to wash the dishes," said Tohru. The sisters hugged again, and then Tohru went and got Kyo and Yuki and the trio left the house. Rika sagged onto the couch, worry about the baby seizing her and making tears come to her eyes. What if the baby was a member of the Zodiac? It wasn't that she would mind so much about it herself. She had grown up around the members of the Zodiac and it was almost perfectly normal to her that people would turn into animals every once in a while. But what about the baby? She wanted her child to be able to grow up like any other normal child and not have to go through the torment and alienation the others went through. She didn't want her child to be scared that others would shun him or her because of what he or she was.

Hatori came out of the kitchen and saw Rika with her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking. He came over as quickly as he could and sat down beside her. She looked up at him and quickly wiped away the tears.

"Silly of me to get so emotional," she said. She tried to pass off her worried face for just being worn out from the party. Hatori pretended that was all it was. He knew Rika hated for other people to be worried about her, or to pity her.

"Maybe you should get some rest," he said gently.

She nodded and went into the bedroom to change into pajamas. They went to sleep soon after that.


	11. Seeing Kana Again

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

A/N: My vacation was five weeks long and during that time my computer time was completely taken up by correspondence. (That word is such a grown-up word. It still strikes me as strange when little kids refer to me as a "big kid." I always think to myself, "whoa, it's true! I really _am_ a big kid now! Do you guys do that too, or is that totally me?) so I'm really sorry it took me so long to update! Especially since it's always this story that takes me the longest. I don't know why, I'm completely in love with it, but here I am rambling when I should be writing. Here goes!

Shigure was out walking the next day. He had completely forgotten to ask Mii to Rika's party, and felt half-relieved and half-even-more-nervous-than-he-was-before. He looked up at the blue sky, his hazel eyes finally serious, a slight frown on his face. What did she think of him? He knew she loved him, but still he worried. Would she love him if she knew the truth? He doubted even Tohru could love any member of the Zodiac should she come to know the full truth. She knew that happy fairy tale, good ending bunny rabbits in a field; watered down for children version of the vengeful spirits that possessed them. She had no idea of the darkness that lay within. And here Mii had just declared she loved him and he would never be able to explain to her.

He sat down on a log; head propped on his chin wondering what he should do. There was nothing he could do. There was nothing to say. Would it be better to be happy with her a little while, and use her for his own selfishness and end up bitter and mean like Hatori? Or was it better to mope around all the time and never know any kind of happiness? Hatori always said he regretted having ever met Kana, but Ayame and Shigure knew the truth. Hatori could have found a way to get rid of his memories, but he didn't. He kept them. He kept them because he wanted them. Shigure thoght about that, and then decided on his answer. Maybe it would work out. Maybe it wouldn't. Que sera sera!

Even as the thought of Kana and Hatori crossed Shigure's mind, the same pair crossed Rika's. Even though she never had doubted Hatori's love for her, she always worried what would happen if he were to see her again. She knew he had seen her before, but not when she was around. Little did Rika know she would find out what would happen. (Dun dun dunnnnn……)

While she prepared breakfast, she heard someone come in behind her. Of course it was none other than Hatori. She smiled a bright smile and kissed his cheek. He smiled back at her and Rika felt a little relief. Even if he did see Kana again, it showed in his eyes that he was happy just to be with her. She felt much calmer and decided not to worry or be jealous of any exes. They were part of the past and should remain there.

After a sweet breakfast, Rika decided she needed a walk. Hatori told her not to go too far and she told him she definitely wouldn't. He also told her a million other things and bossed her around for a bit, but Rika had long ago learned to tune that out. She smiled, waved, nodded, and then left. The day was a sunny one and she was happy to be here. That was, until she saw a certain woman with long blonde hair…

The girl turned around. It wasn't Kana but some other girl visiting from the outside. Rika gave her a polite smile and kept walking, her mind somewhere far far away. That was when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and her spine tingle. Someone was watching her. Her mind came back to earth with a worried crash and she looked around. Just in time she saw a hand paler than death withdraw into an open window. The window closed quickly and Rika had some very serious suspicions on who it might be. She felt her stomach give a little twist.

She had never met Akito, and had no desire to. She had seen and heard about what he had done to Yuki and about his cruelty hatred disdain and bitterness he had for others. She didn't want to meet a person like that, not really. Who did? While he held a curious fascination for her, she never felt the need to satiate her curiosity. A feeling very foreign to Rika. She kept walking hoping he hadn't seen her and hoping she would just forget about it and not mention it to Hatori.

There had been a time when she had come close to meeting Akito. It had been before she had found Kyoko, and she was walking around with Kazuma and they were talking about something or other. Akito came out of his house and looked at the two of them. His dark eyes were the scariest thing and even though he was younger than Rika, she still hid behind Kazuma as they passed by. His dark eyes and hair and then his pale, pale skin made him be something any eight year old would be afraid of. Now Rika wondered what would happen. Then she thought of the blessing she now carried. She knew what would happen. She would die. She should even be here with Hatori. What if they were seen together? Did Akito know they were living together? She knew Shigure told everything about the Jyuunishi to Akito, but would he really betray her like that? Would he really tell Akito the whole truth about her and still pretend to be her friend? She decided even Shigure wasn't that good of a liar. Akito didn't know. He must think she was just visiting or she would be dead where she stood.

Shigure opened the door and there stood Mii. He invited her in and she did come in, though she looked extremely stressed. He led her to the living room and the pair sat down. Shigure took Mii's hand, looked her straight in the eye, and apologized. Mii was stunned. Shigure was completely serious. Shigure was completely mature. And suddenly, Mii found the emotions that had been ruling her life for quite some time now, could grow even bigger than she could possibly imagine. She kissed Shigure on the mouth and then the two drew back.

They sort of giggled, and then started talking. It was a good thing one of the Zodiac members was happy. Because of what was to happen soon, not very many would be happy for very much longer.

Two more months before Hatori and Rika knew the sex of the baby. Two more months before Rika and Hatori would start holding hands outside of Hatori's house while still being on the inside. Two more months. Two more months…

Meanwhile, Rika walked back to Hatori's house and opened the door. There, on the floor on a mat across from Hatori's, was Kana. The blonde girl turned around and this time there was no mistaking her. It was definitely her. It was definitely Kana. Rika didn't know what to say. Obviously, she was starting to feel the burning feeling of jealousy in the pit of her stomach, but this certainly was not a normal "you're my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend so get out" kind of situation. This was a "we're not supposed to know each other and you really don't know me even though I'm pregnant with the man you almost married even though you have no idea" kind of situation.

"Hello," said Rika. "I'm Rika."

"Hi! My name is Kana!" They shook hands and then Rika caught Hatori's glance. He smiled up at her and all the jealousy evaporated. Hatori wasn't regretting his decision. He was as happy about it as he always had been. He was happy to see her. He loved _her_. Not Kana. Not anymore.

The three had a very stilted and awkward conversation but it was a very happy day. A happy day that would have to last them all a while before what would be set in motion after two months would end. If it ended at all.


End file.
